Born in Covington, Louisiana, Ellis attended the Gulf Coast Military Academy and received a Bachelor of Laws from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University in 1929.

He served as a special assistant attorney general of Louisiana.

He was a Member of the Louisiana State Senate from 1940 to 1944, serving as President pro tem from 1940 to 1944.

[1] Ellis was nominated by President John F. Kennedy on February 2, 1962, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana vacated by J. Skelly Wright.

He assumed senior status due to a certified disability on November 16, 1965.